Crisis Communications Communication and Persuasion in the Digital Age Ben Shields Agenda ● New Communication Dynamics ● Crisis Communications Strategies ● Exercise Main Ideas 1. Not if, but when: be prepared 2. New communication rules: Timeliness, transparency, targeted communications 3. Calibrate crisis response with your analysis of the situation New communication dynamics Social media introduce new communication dynamics Two-way Public Immediate Networked Visual Memeified Let’s debrief this United example 1. Defend United. What should they get credit for in their crisis response? 2. What are some of the lessons learned about crisis communications in social media? What were some of the key differences between the United response and the Starbucks response? 3 T’s of Crisis Communications in Social Media 1. Timeliness - in the social media era, leaders do not have the luxury of time. When crises happen, be prepared to act quickly. 2. Transparency - because you have to act quickly, you may not have all the answers. Be clear about what you know, what you don’t know, and what you’re doing to close that gap. 3. Targeted - All stakeholders will see your response strategy. Plan for how primary, secondary, and tertiary audiences may react. Evaluating a Crisis Situation Crisis Situation Analysis Who are the stakeholders? What type of crisis? What is the truth? How severe are the charges? What is our credibility? Adapted from: “How to Save your Brand in the Face of Crisis,” MIT Sloan Management Review, Summer 2010 Let’s analyze this situation Who are the stakeholders? What type of crisis? What is the truth? How severe are the charges? What is our credibility? Responding to a Crisis Key Strategic Decisions in Crafting a Response - GOAL - what is the desired outcome of your response? (e.g. shift consumer perception, influence media coverage, drive a specific action) - AUDIENCE - who are your primary, secondary, and tertiary audiences? - PLATFORM - on which platform(s) will you respond? - BRAND - who will be the spokesperson? The corporate brand, CEO, division leader? - CONTENT - what will be the message and format of the response? - DISTRIBUTION - when and where will the response be communicated? - MEASUREMENT - how will you measure the effectiveness of the response? Double Click on Content: Messaging Strategy 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Denial Apologizing and Mortification Evasion of responsibility Reduce the offensiveness of the event Corrective action None Source: William L Benoit, Accounts, Excuses, and Apologies: A Theory of Image Restoration Strategies, Suny Sieres in Speech Communication edition (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994). Double Click on Content: Messaging Format Text-only + Control the message - Lessen emotional appeal Image + Tell story quickly - Potentially lose emotional appeal Video + Emphasize emotional appeal - Requires strong personal communication skills Main Ideas 1. Not if, but when: be prepared 2. New communication rules: Timeliness, transparency, targeted communications 3. Calibrate crisis response with your analysis of the situation Pop Tv GIF by Schitt's Creek - Find & Share on GIPHY
